Efficacy of certain botanicals against root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus coffeae in banana

Abstract

Dry and fresh leaves of ten locally available botanicals were tested against the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus coffeae in banana cvs Nendran and Rasthali under field conditions. All the botanicals were effective in reducing the nematode population and subsequently increased the plant growth characters and yield compared to untreated control. Among the different botanicals tried, application of Azadirachta indica, Calotropis procera, Datura stramonium, Crotolaria juncea and Vitex negundo were found to be superior and effective in reducing the nematode population and increasing the yield significantly.